A Spirit in Chains
by victoria-pontmercy
Summary: She had run hard and fast from the Dreadfort, and she didn't intend to be sent back. She would not return, not willingly. She would never return to Ramsay Bolton. [Robb Stark/OC]
1. Prologue

**Prologue  
**_The Girl in the Snow_

* * *

"_Life is not a song, sweetling. Someday you may learn that, to your sorrow." - George R R Martin_

* * *

She was scarcely breathing, buried in a thin dusting of the snow which had fallen from the skies. Robb knelt beside her limp form, eyes wide in worry. She could not have been more than ten and seven name-days old, collapsed on the frost-bitten ground. His eyes trailed over her ruby-red lips, a stark contrast against the pure white of the snow surrounding her. Her honey coloured hair was splayed around her in disarray, framing her youthful face.

She was clad in a cream dress which scarcely covered her body, her arms exposed to the cold air with nothing but a lace mesh to protect them. She was dressed in finery, which made Robb wonder what reason she had to be wandering on her own. He concluded that to survive in the cold and harsh Northern climate she must have had a cloak at some point in the journey and lost it. What was most startling about her was the crimson blood painted across the pleats of her skirts and across her back, which Robb noticed as he gently looped his arms under legs and her back. He clutched her close to his body, providing her the warmth that she so desperately needed to stay alive.

Heaving her onto his horse, Robb sat behind her, supporting her unconscious form with his arms and keeping her against his chest. Her head tipped backwards as Robb urged his horse into a canter along the road to Winter Town, the crown of her head resting just on his shoulder.

The girl remained unconscious for the duration of the ride. Robb knew that his task was time critical, and as desperately as he wanted to take her to Maester Luwin, he knew that he had little time. His knowledge of Winter Town was pitiful, and unfortunately the only place that he knew would still be open at this time was the brothel. Robb had no desire to place this girl in the company of whores, but he knew he had little alternative.

Despite being late at night, the brothel was as busy as ever. Robb had dismounted from his horse and once again took the girl in his hands, marvelling at her miniscule weight which he knew couldn't have been healthy, and held her close to his chest, turning her head towards him and away from the goings-on of the brothel, as if he was protecting her.

Ros recognised Robb immediately, and upon seeing the near-dead, bloodied girl in his arms, ushered him into a private, unused room and lit the hearth.

Robb didn't know how long he sat in front of the fire, the girl's head in his lap as he kept watch over her. Her skin slowly became warm to the touch and her breathing became regular. Her cheeks reddened and flushed, but she did not awaken. It was only when Ros knocked on the door, entering the room with a bowl of steaming hot soup, did Robb finally look up from her face.

"You should return to Winterfell, m'lord. I will take care of the girl," Ros offered. Robb wanted to decline, he wanted to stay with the girl until she awoke, and then learn everything about her, who she was and why she was alone in the woods at dusk. But he knew that if he did not return to his home soon, his mother would not allow him to leave Winterfell for a week, burdening him with any task she saw fit.

Reluctantly, Robb lifted the girl's head from his lap and placed it on the the furs he had gathered for her to rest on. Ros took his place by her side, telling him of how she would provide the girl with new clothing and tend to any wounds. Robb nodded thankfully before taking his leave, knowing sleep would not come easily to him that night.

* * *

The girl's name was Kaina.

She awoke just as the sun began to rise from the horizon, and in her confusion willingly gave over her true name to Ros. Ros did not need the girl's confirmation to know that she was running from something, and she was not foolish enough to ask. She had seen the scar that ran down the girl's back when she had laced up the back of her dress for her, she had caught a glimpse of the angry red mark on her thigh, surrounded by bruises and dried blood, as she had stepped into the bath that Ros had prepared for her. Ros was curious, but she was also scared to know the truth of this girl's past.

And Kaina was not about to divulge it either. She had run hard and fast from the Dreadfort, and she didn't intend to be sent back. She would not return, not willingly. She would never return to Ramsay Snow.

* * *

**Do let me know what you think!**

**I've been working on this slowly for about a year now and I've finally gotten round to posting it. I figured I ought to post it before season 8 is complete (which, by the way, I'd love to discuss with anyone who's watching it currently). My two favourite men to write about from GoT are Robb Stark and Jaime Lannister, who I have another fic in the works for if anyone is interested.**

**It'd be nice to have some feedback before I post the first chapter so please leave a review. The next chapter should be up within a day or so regardless. Just a word of warning however, this story is rated M for a reason. The OC goes through both sexual and physical abuse (as most do in Ramsay fics), so if you aren't comfortable with that you may wish not to read any further.**

**Thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter One

**Warning: the following chapter contains what could be considered graphic depictions of violence and injury, and slightly sexual content. Rated M for a reason.**

**Thank you for all of the follows, favourites and reviews I have gotten so far. It means a lot!**

* * *

**Chapter One  
**_The Bastard of Bolton_**  
**

* * *

_"Nothing was colder or more dead than his heart." - Gaston Leroux_

* * *

_**A few weeks earlier**_

As the ward of the Dreadfort, Kaina was used to having everything handed to her on a silver platter. Ramsay had promised her that she would want for nothing, whispering sweet nothings into her ear. These sweet nothings, however, were poisonous. He was manipulative and twisted her into his image. The more time that Kaina spent in Ramsay's company, the more she yearned for her freedom and she attempted to gain it in any way she could. She didn't realise what Ramsay was doing until it was too late.

She had dismissed her handmaiden, claiming she had no need for her that night, and was sitting in front of her large mirrors admiring the intricate braid that she had spent an hour perfecting. Her long, honey brown curls had been neatly tucked away into multiple plaits, which interwove with each other, and for once Kaina felt as if she could do things for herself.

She was interrupted by a knock at the door, but before she could move to open it, the door was opened by another. Ramsay Snow stepped into the room and Kaina offered him a smile as she made eye contact with him in the mirror. He approached her, frowning as he took in her hair. He picked up the braid in his hands, feeling the delicate knots and turns.

"Did you do this, Kaina?" he met her eyes in the mirror. Kaina swallowed and nodded.

"I wanted to do something different." She should have known that Ramsay would not be best pleased – he always preferred her hair when it was left loose.

Ramsay clenched his jaw, sinking his fingers into her hair and tugging slightly. Kaina hissed slightly as Ramsay began undoing the braids she had spent so long perfecting, her head being pulled backwards roughly until her hair finally fell down her back once again. Ramsay smiled tightly, still running the tendrils through his fingers. His hands eventually settled on her shoulders, and he leaned down so that his face rested in the crook of her neck.

"There, don't you look so much better with your hair down?" Ramsay's eyes bore into hers in the mirror. When Kaina moved her gaze, Ramsay gripped her chin with his hand and redirected her gaze to meet his eyes once again. Sensing that he was waiting for a response, Kaina nodded solemnly. Satisfied, Ramsay turned his head and placed a forceful kiss against her cheek.

Kaina had once enjoyed his kisses, relished in them even. She had been foolish then, longing to rebel against her guardian in her early teenage years and had done so by allowing Ramsay – who at that point was still living at the mill – to take her maidenhead. It was a decision she had come to regret, Ramsay was always hungry for more and now that he lived in the Dreadfort, there was no escaping him. Furthermore, Kaina suspected that this fact may have been spread to Lord Bolton somehow, and feared it would affect her chance at finding a good husband.

Not that Kaina particularly wanted to be married off to another house, sold as if she were a piece of furniture, but she was intelligent enough to understand her station in life, and she knew there was little she could do to prevent herself from being one of countless women who were sold as commodities under the pretence of marriage. Instead, Kaina simply hoped that she would happen to fall in love with whoever her husband may be, just as Lady Catelyn Stark had fallen in love with Lord Eddard Stark only after they wed.

Ramsay had known of Kaina longer than she had been aware of his existence. While Ramsay had been spiteful of his half-brother Domeric and was eventually the one to poison him, he did not hold the same hostility to Lord Bolton's ward. While he certainly found it to be an added bonus that she was a rather pretty little thing, Ramsay saw Kaina as the perfect opportunity to infiltrate his father's household and he couldn't deny how much he enjoyed manipulating her to be his and only his. When he approached her for the first time, Kaina had no idea that he was her guardian's bastard son. He was charming towards her and Kaina soon became besotted. By the time that she discovered the true nature of his heritage, she did not care that he had kept it a secret from her.

Kaina was brought back to the present as she felt Ramsay's hands drifting down to the laces of her dress. There was no back to the stool upon which Kaina sat, leaving Ramsay easily able to undo the laces. The cold air made Kaina flinch as it swept across her back when Ramsay opened the dress to reveal the smooth skin. Her skin was not unmarked, her body littered with fading and fresh purple and green bruises, especially around her hip where Ramsay would dig his fingers deep into her flesh.

One of Ramsay's hands snaked around to her front, briefly fondling the skin of her breasts, still largely concealed by her dress, before travelling up to her neck and closing around it. He pulled her to her feet, applying no pressure with his hand but the threat enough to make Kaina move. Kaina watched their reflections in the mirror with a morose expression, one of grim acceptance, as Ramsay removed her dress, allowing it to pool at her feet and exposing her bare form to him. Ramsay grinned, pressing his body against hers.

Kaina was tired. She was tired of Ramsay constantly accosting her, but she couldn't deny that when he bit her ear and closed his hand over her breast that she would often find herself enjoying his attentions. Kaina sighed and let herself melt into his hold.

The morning light woke Kaina before it did Ramsay.

Kaina blinked groggily, yawning as she stretched her body but was prevented by the heavy arm that was looped over her waist. Memories of the night before came rushing back into her mind, and Kaina could feel herself blushing. She didn't want to move, enjoying the warmth of their bodies pressed against each other, but was now too alert to return to sleep, her mind starting to wander. As it wandered, a question rose in her mind, a question she often found herself wondering but never voiced for fear of the response she would get.

Since Kaina had reached sexual maturity and Ramsay had begun living in the Dreadfort, she had been the victim of his excessive possessiveness. She knew it wasn't healthy when Ramsay would scarcely let another man talk to her, regardless of whether it was a servant, the stable boy or a lord. When around others, Ramsay felt it appropriate to constantly keep a hold of her, his hand either on her waist or the small of her back as they walked across the grounds. Kaina had no intention of sleeping with or giving her attentions to another man, but she felt it vastly unfair that Ramsay believed it was well within his rights to frequently attend the brothel or prey on the serving girls when if she was to do anything even remotely romantic with another man, he would punish her.

"Ramsay?" Kaina spoke, her voice barely above a whisper as she traced the skin of the hand that rested on her chest. She shifted in the bed slightly, back to him as she attempted to relieve the pressure on her side, accidentally grinding her behind into the man who lay behind her as she did so.

Ramsay groaned, his hand moving to down to clutch her waist. "You shouldn't do that if you don't want me to take you right here, this moment," he drawled, taking the lobe of her ear between his teeth, lightly biting down as she squirmed.

"Can I ask you a question?" she asked politely and respectfully, knowing her question would likely anger him immeasurably.

"Perhaps," Ramsay rose to crouch above her, the fur covers slipping to reveal his naked form, and he rolled her onto her back. "That depends on if you've been a good girl or not," he smirked at her, one hand supporting his weight next to her head and the other now clutching the back of her thigh, hitching the limb against his waist. "Have you?" Kaina nodded quickly, knowing his play. Ramsay smiled, eyes boring into hers. "You have indeed. Ask away, my love."

Kaina breathed heavily, heart beginning to pick up speed as she considered not asking at all, and quickly averted eye contact. Seeing this, Ramsay gripped her chin with his hand, redirecting her gaze to him – a warning. "Why...why do you still go to the...to the brothel when you have me?"

Ramsay's grin fell from his face, and his thumb was suddenly putting pressure onto her chin, leaving an angry red mark beneath it. "Are you questioning me, my love?" He asked her, his way of offering her a surrender.

"Please, Ramsay," Kaina refused to back down from this one.

"Those whores are _dirty,_" he spat the word, "I couldn't_ damage you_ the way I do them," His gaze drifted down her nude, largely unmarked body. "They're just toys, Kaina."

"I don't get it," Kaina shook her head, moving to sit up on the bed. Surprisingly, Ramsay allowed her to. He then pinned her against the headboard with his body, leaving her with very little option to escape. "I don't get why you are allowed to be with other girls, and I am hardly allowed to even _look _at another man."

She cringed as soon as the words came out of her mouth, knowing she had pushed him perhaps too far.

Ramsay clenched his jaw, his fingers digging into the skin of her hips in his anger, and his eyes hardened. He glared at her, and all Kaina wanted to do was crawl and hide in the corner until his anger had subsided. He adjusted his grip so that his fingers wound around her slender neck, not squeezing but the threat was still present.

"You – are – _mine_," Ramsay growled at Kaina, his eyes wide and unblinking at her. "No other man is allowed to touch you. Of course, you knew that already, didn't you?" Ramsay's callous expression morphed into a look of sadistic glee. He released her from his grip, shifting his weight off of her until she was able to shuffle to the corner of the bed, as far from him as she could get. Yet Ramsay's face still loomed over her, not allowing her a moment of reprieve.

After a moment, Ramsay seemed to calm down. He placed his palm on Kaina's cheek, his thumb brushing over her cheekbone, back and forth, back and forth, soothing her panicked heart. He watched her with a neutral, if slightly patronising, look and Kaina foolishly fell into his trap.

"Perhaps you need reminding."

Ramsay stood from the bed, moving over to the desk and retrieving an item from it. Kaina clutched the bed furs to her chest as the panic began to resurface. His back was to her as he took the item to the fire. She was left ignorant to what he was doing, however the changed atmosphere in the room convinced Kaina to scramble from the bed and make sure that she was as far from Ramsay as was physically possible.

He turned, a maniacal grin spread across his features. In his hand he held a long pair of tongs used for fire. Kaina failed to see the object held by the tongs but backed herself into a corner as Ramsay advanced. He reached her, and she had no where else to go. Kaina's eyes rapidly flickered from the hot tongs to Ramsay's cold grey eyes, knowing full well his intentions.

"Ramsay, please-" Kaina was silenced by Ramsay's lips crashing against hers. Her shock prevented her from noticing Ramsay's free hand which had been pushed in the gap between her thighs, spreading her legs which he stood between.

Kaina broke from the kiss, panting heavily. Ramsay would've laughed at her utter powerlessness and fear if it hadn't have made him so hard. "You will _always _belong to House Bolton," Ramsay promised her, lining the red hot object against the skin of Kaina's inner thigh. She felt the heat and immediately began writhing, her beautiful face scrunching up in fear and pain. Mercilessly, Ramsay roughly pushed the object against the skin.

A high pitched scream pierced the air as the object made contact, the skin blistering immediately under the heat. Ramsay held her wrists in one hand above her head, pinning her to the wall. Kaina writhed beneath him, tears streaming down the smooth curves of her cheekbones and dripping onto her chest as she gasped in pain. "It hurts!" she hissed between breaths, eyes scrunched tightly together.

Ramsay didn't refrain from the manic grin that spread across his face as he branded her, taking pleasure from the power he held over her. Eventually he released his grip on the tongs, allowing the objects to fall to the floor at their feet. Through her tears, Kaina could see the metal wax stamp sealer rolling across the stone of the floor, the Bolton sigil catching in the light. Her eyes widened in horror, feeling sick to the stomach.

Her thigh burned intensely. "Now, any man who tries to _fuck _you will know just who you belong to."

Ramsay gave her a false sympathetic look, placing his palm on the small of Kaina's back and directing her to the bed where he pushed her down to sit on the edge of it. She didn't move to stop him when his hands went between her thighs once more, and spread them so that he could see his handiwork. The corners of his lips curved upwards at the sight, eyes glistening at the claim he had placed on her.

"Look at it," Ramsay commanded, and out of some morbid curiosity and forced obedience, Kaina did so. Peering down at her thigh, Kaina let out a horrified gasp at the inflamed skin and the Bolton sigil permanently burned into her once pure skin, the flayed man staring up at her. It was relatively small, and would fade to a scar in time, but the sight of the red and bloody skin nevertheless made Kaina feel sick to her stomach.

* * *

Ramsay had dressed her wound himself. When she would hiss in pain, Ramsay would whisper encouragements to comfort her. He would so frequently do this; injure her and then comfort her. It had started with a slap, and it had escalated all too quickly, and Kaina had been blind for too long.

Now she was sitting in the great hall of the Dreadfort with only Roose, Ramsay and few servants. The day had passed quickly, and night was approaching. The lack of light did nothing to alleviate the gloomy and dreary atmosphere of the room.

Roose was stoic as usual, barely sparing a glance at Kaina's regular shuffling in discomfort, whereas Ramsay took great pleasure in seeing what he had done to her. It was clear that she was still in a great amount of pain by her frequent wincing and hissing in pain. Kaina couldn't help but resent both father and son in that moment. Roose had taken her in as his ward and he wouldn't even spare a glance at her when she was in pain. Though Kaina had always suspected that her parent's deaths were not entirely what they seemed, and that perhaps Roose had not been on such good terms with them.

The heavy silence that had settled between the trio was broken some way into the second course of the meal by Roose. "I have an announcement which concerns the both of you," he spoke. As far as Kaina was concerned, all news in the Dreadfort was bad news. "It has come to my attention, Kaina, that you are of an age at which you should be marrying. I have had many requests from Northern lords for your hand in marriage, but I am also aware that you may no longer be a maiden." Kaina was mortified, how did he know such a thing?

"As for you, Ramsay, I believe marriage would be beneficial to you, perhaps it would go to some lengths to change your inappropriate ways, however you are only my bastard," Ramsay bristled at the mention of his being a Snow, "If you were legitimate, then I would marry you to the daughter of a great house, but alas, you are not. Thus, I have decided that the two of you shall be wed to one another."

Silence reigned. Ramsay stared at his father with apprehension but his expression also betrayed his glee. Kaina, however, was trying her hardest to her disgust and fear. She had always assumed that her frolicking with Ramsay would eventually come to an end when she would marry some lord or another, she had never once dreamed of actually being married to him.

Ramsay turned his icy gaze to Kaina and grinned at her, eyes full of sadistic intent. "You honour me, father. I shall be a very lucky man indeed. What say you, Kaina?"

Roose turned his eyes to his ward. She knew that she couldn't betray her true emotions to either of them without risk of repercussion from Ramsay. "I am very happy that you have chosen Ramsay for me, my Lord," she said demurely, not making eye contact with either man. Roose stared at her for a short while before returning to his meal and beckoning a servant over to refill his drink.

Kaina suddenly had no interest in the food which sat before her, her appetite having all but disappeared. All of her thoughts were focused on the devastating news she had just learned. She knew that she could not marry Ramsay. She knew he was sick and twisted, and she refused to sit on his arm and look pretty as he murdered and flayed.

"Kaina, you will continue to take moon tea until the day of your wedding," Roose continued, "I don't want the entire of the North to know that Ramsay has ruined you already, which they will if you suddenly become large with his bastard in your belly so soon into your marriage."

Ramsay nodded, "Kaina has been taking moon tea for some moons now, Father. Haven't you, dearest?" Kaina nodded, sipping on her drink to avoid having to talk to either of the men she was in the company of. "Besides, if she was to become pregnant, there are many potions to end an pregnancy," Ramsay continued. Kaina blanched at the thought. She didn't want a child, not at such a young age, and she didn't want to bring a child into the world if Ramsay would be its father. However, the mere thought of Ramsay killing her babe whilst it was still in her stomach made Kaina furious. How dare he claim such ownership over he body?

And so Kaina began to plan her escape.

* * *

**Hopefully I haven't scared anyone off yet! Ramsay is a twisted character and I didn't feel that I should try and hide it. I was hesitant to post this chapter as I felt that the idea of him physically branding her was quite far-fetched, but then again the torture Ramsay put Theon through was also extreme. Kaina appears quite demure at this point but she will grow in character as the story progresses.**

**If this was too dark for you, once we reach the chapters with Robb the content will get lighter. ****This chapter was quite content heavy but later chapters won't be quite as long. The next chapter will be up soon.**

**Thank you for sticking with the story so far! I'd love to hear your opinions so please leave a review!**


	3. Chapter Two

**Rated M for a reason.**

* * *

**Chapter Two  
**_The Escape_**  
**

* * *

"_One must be cunning and wicked in this world." - Leo Tolstoy_

* * *

Ramsay took her harder than ever before that night, a twisted way of displaying his victory over her. When he finally collapsed beside her, he wrapped her up in his arms, preventing her from moving away. Ramsay was no fool, he knew that Kaina did not want to marry him. Both he and Roose had seen the panic in her eyes as she lied through her teeth when the upcoming marriage had been declared, but neither of them cared for her desires.

Kaina woke the following morning with Ramsay between her legs once more. He grunted on top of her as she moaned partially from the unwelcome pleasure, and partially from her exhaustion. Ramsay eventually pulled himself from her, grasping her chin in his hand to make her look into his eyes.

"I can hardly wait for the day you become my wife..." he said, other hand splayed across the pillow next to her head to support his weight. "And then everyone will know that you truly are mine..."

As they broke their fast that morning, he kept his fingers wrapped tightly around her thigh, thumb digging into the brand that still festered and burned. Kaina hissed, shuffling in her seat. Ramsay grinned at her, looking at her with a questioning gaze as if he had done nothing to cause her pain. None of the people in the room seemed to notice, nor care, that Ramsay was treating her this way. Kaina felt more helpless than ever.

It took a week for Kaina to finalise her plan. Whilst Ramsay had been out with the Bastard's Boys on a hunt – Kaina didn't know whether he was hunting a poor girl or an animal, but she didn't intend to find out – she made a visit to the Maester and asked him for a sleeping draught, claiming that she was having difficulties sleeping – which was in fact the case, but for an entirely different reason.

The Maester instructed her to put five drops of the draught into her drink after her evening meal to ensure that she would fall asleep before midnight came. He asked her no questions, for which Kaina was more than grateful, though she knew to avoid any suspicion on Ramsay's part, she had to act quickly.

Then came the part of her preparations that caused Kaina the most anxiety. Knowing she had only a limited amount of time until Ramsay returned, she rushed through the corridors, dipping into alcoves whenever she saw another person, until she reached the chambers which she knew belonged to the girl who was Ramsay's cup-bearer. She knew the risk that she was placing the both of them in but she had no choice if she wanted to escape Ramsay and have a good life for herself.

By some miracle, the girl had agreed to Kaina's plan, believing that Kaina simply wanted Ramsay to let her rest for a night. The girl had sworn herself to secrecy, not oblivious to rumours which circulated around Ramsay of how he acted when he was scorned.

The following evening, Kaina felt sick to her stomach as she sat opposite Ramsay at the dinner table, Lord Bolton to her side at the head of the table, carefully sipping on his water. Ramsay was not so cautious, failing to taste the sleeping draught that had been slipped into his wine. If all went to plan, Ramsay would be asleep by the dead of night, but Kaina's future seemed to hang in the balance as she waited for Ramsay to inevitably realise something was wrong.

"I intend for the wedding to take place a fortnight from now," Roose announced suddenly. Kaina remained calm, knowing that she had no intention to stay in the Dreadfort that long. "Weddings are excessive affairs, the sooner that you two are husband and wife, the better."

Ramsay pinned her with his icy gaze. "Of course, Father. I too share your eagerness, I shall be needing an heir soon enough, as every Lord does." Kaina nearly choked on her drink as Ramsay spoke of bedding her to his father.

Roose was not best pleased at the idea of Ramsay being Lord of the Dreadfort. The death of his trueborn son, Domeric, had infuriated him greatly as he grew to suspect his only living child had a hand in the event. Roose had long planned for Domeric to marry his ward, and he doubted that his bastard was unaware of this fact. Ramsay was dangerous, Roose knew this, and he worried that his carelessness would lead the Boltons to fall out of favour with more significant houses, such as the Starks.

Ramsay took her again that night, taking no care of the tender skin of her thighs from the night before or the bruises on her hips. He pressed his lips against hers, biting her lip to force entry. Kaina knotted one of her hands in his hair, the other placed on the base of his neck as he rocked above her. The rough thrusts caused Kaina to cry out in pain she had never felt the likes of before, feeling as if he was tearing her apart with his movements. He buried his head in her hair, lips against the skin of her neck, his eyes feeling heavy and the weight of his head seemingly pulling him down to the furs of the bed.

He grunted as he collapsed on top of her clumsily, groaning as the draught began to take hold of him. Kaina heaved him off of her with great difficulty, standing from the bed and redressing in her small clothes. She knew that she should wait for him to fall asleep fully, but she could also waste no time.

"Kaina..." Ramsay grunted, rolling onto his back. "Get back here," he commanded, stretching his arm out for her. Kaina stared at him with a blank expression, slipping her dress back over her shoulders and doing the laces up at the front. The dress was too fancy for a commoner who she intended to pose as, but it would have to do. Even as the blood from between her thighs, a result of his brutal actions against her, began to seep through her skirts as she sat to tie the laces on her boots, it would have to do. "You bitch," Ramsay growled, trying and failing to push himself from the bed.

Ramsay was nearly asleep now, Kaina noted this as she draped her cloak over her shoulders. She wandered over to her bed side table, opening the draw and retrieving a rather large pouch of coins and buried them inside the small bag which now hung at her hip. Ramsay's hand snapped out, gripping her wrist roughly and tugging her face down to his.

"I can't marry you, Ramsay," Kaina whispered, watching as his expression contorted to one of rage. "I will not," she sneered at him, pulling her wrist from his hold roughly and moving away from him.

"I will find you, Kaina..." Ramsay threatened, his words beginning to slur, "I will flay anyone who helps you... and... I will drag you back to my bed... _you're mine_, don't...forget...that..." he said with blind fury before succumbing to his fatigue.

"I'm not yours." Kaina whispered to his sleeping form, wishing she'd had the courage to say that to him before.

Kaina watched him for a moment, noting how he looked so much less villainous when he slept. Her fear began to rise as she turned and left the room, extinguishing the candles before she did so, so the guards wouldn't think anything was amiss.

It was the dead of the night and the only ones who were awake were the guards patrolling the walls. Kaina was familiar with their patterns, she knew the places that were left unguarded at certain times. There was a secret exit in the dungeons, used only by Ramsay and the Bastard's Boys, which Kaina had only seen once before. She vaguely remembered where it was, hidden in an unused cell. She kept her eyes downcast as she crept through the dungeons, refusing to look at the hideous sights she knew she would see if she looked up, noting that the only guard on duty seemed to be preoccupied with another prisoner who Kaina could hear screaming in pain down the hall.

Once Kaina was safely on the exterior of the Dreadfort, she felt a heavy weight lift off of her shoulders. She felt significantly lighter without the leering eyes of Ramsay Snow watching her constantly, feeling as if she was now finally free to breathe after being suffocated for so long.

She scurried along the base of the walls of the Dreadfort until she came to the entrance of the woods which fortressed the hold. She followed the river downstream for a long while, running with her skirts dipping in the shallow and frigid water as she attempted to mask her scent should Ramsay attempt to track her down with his hounds. The forest was so dense that by the time she had broken through to the other side of the forest, the sun was beginning to rise.

Kaina did not entirely know where she planned on going. She could head South, where the days were longer and the skies clearer. Alternatively, she could head East, to Winterfell. Perhaps she could seek refuge with Lord Stark, she had heard the tales of him being a kind and noble man, but she also knew that he would have to maintain relations with his bannermen, which included Lord Bolton. Heading to Winterfell had its appeal, the more people who were there, the lower the chance of either Bolton or Snow finding her.

It took eighteen days for Kaina to reach Winterfell by foot, walking tirelessly through the day and into the night. There were few towns between Winterfell and the Dreadfort, but in the towns she did happen across she was spent a few gold coins on lodgings for a night, and double that amount to buy the innkeeper's silence. Before she even reached Winterfell she felt her coin bag become so painfully light.

She was weak, incredibly so. Her meals were irregular and she never knew where they were coming from, and with every passing day she felt her muscles growing weaker. The night was just beginning to fall when Kaina collapsed to the ground. She could see the towers of Winterfell on the horizon, perhaps just less than a day's travel away. She felt her heart beating in her ears as she collided to the floor, feeling her life ebbing away as her vision darkened.

And that was where Robb Stark found her, close to death as snow fell from the sky.

* * *

_**Present**_

Ros had offered her a job working as a barmaid at the brothel where Robb had reluctantly left her, which Kaina had graciously accepted. The job gave her a roof over her head and just enough money to get by. Ros told her that if she worked as a whore then she would easily get twice as much money and could even come to enjoy it, but the idea had made Kaina intensely anxious. Like any other girl in her position, the thought of strange men running their hands over her and groping her was grotesque, but Kaina also thought of Ramsay, and what he would do if he found out that she had willingly sold herself to other men, and that terrified her more than anything. She prayed he would never find her, but she wished to save herself of the extra pain if he did.

Kaina had been working at the brothel for just under a week when she had her encounter with the ward of Winterfell. She had seen him once before with Ros. She thought he was rather attractive but the leering smirk he would give to some of the girls made Kaina wary of him. She had been told of the rumours surrounding Theon, rumours which made her blush immeasurably. It was common knowledge that the Greyjoy heir had not saved himself for his future wife, but then the same could be said for all of the Ironborn.

After downing his third flagon of beer, Theon stuck out his hand and grasped onto Kaina's waist as she walked by. Kaina screeched in fright, dropping the tray she carried in her hands. Theon pulled her onto his lap so that her back was pressed against his chest, and he kept his fingers firmly splayed across her stomach, his other hand caressing her scarcely covered breasts.

"My lord," she breathed out, prying his fingers away from her chest, "I am not a prostitute."

Theon, clearly intoxicated, scoffed at her words. "All girls here are whores," he murmured into her skin and he began kissing her neck. Kaina kept her breathing steady, knowing the best way to handle this was without being flustered. Yet she couldn't help but think back to the last time a young, self-righteous Lord had treated her in such a manner, and she felt her heart rate rising. "So why don't you spread those pretty legs for me..." his hand travelled down to her thigh, starting to bunch up her skirts in one hand. Kaina's eyes bulged as she felt his hardness pressing into her backside, and she immediately attempted to tear herself from his grasp.

But Theon was not done with her. Kaina lunged from her position on his lap. Theon's hand shot out to grasp her wrist and turn her around, but when he did so, he felt a palm colliding with his face and his head snapped to the side.

Those around fell silent, eyes watching curiously and warily on as they watched the young Lord blink furiously.

Kaina didn't wait for Theon to retaliate, turning on her heel and storming through the door behind the bar. She leaned against the heavy wooden door once she closed it behind her, heart beating furiously in her chest and tears springing to her eyes. But Kaina promised herself that she would not cry. Instead she steeled herself, and waited for Ros to come and find her.

She didn't have to wait very long until Ros came rushing into the room, having heard from the other girls of the ordeal. Groping was a common way of life for most of the girls in the brothel, so Ros didn't truly fear for the girl's safety, but she knew that Kaina had run from her past for some grave reason and she knew she was fragile. Ros approached her, cupping her red cheeks in her palms.

"I cannot work here any longer, Ros," she told her, eyes shining. Ros nodded in understanding. "That man, Theon, he... he.. he was too much like... I can't say his name..."

"It's alright," Ros pulled the girl into her embrace for a brief moment, "Where will you go?"

"I do not know," Kaina admitted, "Perhaps I could find work in the stables. I've always been fond of horses."

"Perhaps," Ros replied with a sad smile on her face. "I've seen to Theon, he was so intoxicated I don't think he'll remember anything of tonight other than the girl he is currently bedding." Kaina felt sick. "Do not fear that he will want justice. I doubt he'd recognise you if he saw you again."

"Thank you, Ros. You have been a true friend to me," Kaina smiled.

"If there's anything you need, Kaina, you know where to find me."

* * *

**Thank you again for the follows, favourites and all the wonderful feedback! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, with Kaina starting to claim a little more agency for herself. This should also be the end of the darker content for a little while.**

**Do let me know what you think and any questions you have, I really love reading your reviews.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**  
_The Young Wolf_

* * *

"_Few people dare now to say that two beings have fallen in love because they have looked at each other. Yet it is in this way that love begins, and in this way only." - Victor Hugo_

* * *

The stables of Winterfell were much more grand than the stables of the Dreadfort. They were not much different in size, but they were much more spacious and much less gloomy than the dark, grim stables of her previous home. Kaina was fortunate to have found work as a stable hand, caring for the mares and stallions of the Starks themselves. Kaina grew fond of one horse in particular, a dappled grey steed with the name of Storm.

Kaina was brushing down Storm, stroking her hand along his neck as she did so to keep him calm. She spoke to him softly, looking at him with adoring eyes. Once she was done, Kaina turned to the door of the stall where she had left the saddle and bridle, intending to saddle him up for the ride that he was due to be taken on, when she noticed another presence in the stable.

"My Lord," Kaina widened her eyes in surprise, curtseying in respect. Even if she was not acting as a commoner, Robb Stark was still above her in rank, his father being Warden of the North. She carefully observed him, taking in the mop of auburn curls which sat atop his head and his smooth and youthful complexion. Kaina couldn't help but feel her heart flutter at the sight of the eldest Stark child.

Ros had informed Kaina of how the heir to Winterfell had been the one to find her buried in the snow, frozen within an inch of her life. As she recounted, Robb had been intensely worried for Kaina's safety and had sat with her until the very early hours of the morning to ensure that she did not fade away during the night. Kaina smiled at the thought, thinking that in another world they could have been married. In a world where her parents had not been slaughtered, or a world in which Ramsay had not taken her innocence.

"It is quite alright," Robb smiled at her. Robb couldn't contain his joy at finally speaking to the girl he had watched from afar for the past two weeks since he had found her. He had seen her with Storm before, giving him treats that she probably wasn't supposed to, and had watched her from the windows of the library tower as she passed under it, carrying saddles to and from the stable. He thanked the Gods for her swift recovery, but it was only now that he had worked up the courage to talk to her. Kaina felt as if she should wait for him to leave before continuing her work, as would be considered polite from someone of her station, but Robb did not. Instead he stood in front of his horse's stall, hands fidgeting nervously in front of him. "Storm does not usually let other people pick his hooves, usually I have to do it myself. He must like you."

Kaina was a little shocked that Robb had been standing there long enough for him to have seen her picking his horse's hooves, but was confident enough in her skill to not be unnerved by it. Instead she felt pride swell up in her chest, a small smile playing on her lips. This was the first casual conversation she'd had with a man, a boy, of his age in such a manner in so long. Ramsay's possessiveness had reached new levels in the weeks leading to her escape, and since the escape she had spoken to as few people as possible.

"I am fond of him, my Lord, as I suspect he may be fond of me," Kaina smiled, running her hand down Storm's nose as he pushed his head into her. She then approached the door, approaching him, and lifted the saddle from where she placed it. She had to step on the tips of her toes to throw the saddle over his back given his significant height, and even then she had trouble. She barely noticed when Robb opened the gate and stepped into the stall with her.

"Let me help you," he offered, standing on the other side of Storm and helping her to position the saddle correctly.

"Thank you, my Lord, could you please pass me the girth?" Kaina stuck her arm under the horse's belly but the girth swung out of her reach as Storm moved. Robb complied and Kaina was able to finish doing the saddle.

As Kaina was putting the bridle on his horse, Robb spoke up again, still in the stall with her. "Do you ride?"

Here, Kaina had to begin fabricating her story. "My father worked as a stable hand for many years, he taught me to ride from a young age," she informed him as she wrapped the reigns around each other so that they wouldn't get tangled before the ride, "I love to ride when I get the opportunity. I am used to riding horses just as tall as Storm," she smiled faintly at the memories of galloping through countless miles of countryside.

Robb was not convinced with her story. No simple farm girl wore garbs as fine as the ones he found her in. Still, he found himself laughing at the idea of such a small framed girl on a horse as large as Storm.

"Not many women I know of ride such tall horses, save from young Arya who is more than happy to steal Storm from me on the odd occasion," Robb laughed at the image in his head.

"I am not most women, my Lord," Kaina murmured.

"What is your name? I fear I will not sleep tonight if I do not know it," Robb asked, and Kaina felt a smile at how forward he was being with a simple stable girl. To her fortune, Ros had not informed Robb of her name. It had been a mistake to use her true name, but she hoped that was behind her now.

"My name is Evelyn, my Lord," Kaina lied, using the name which she had chosen for her younger sister, who as a babe had died her mother's arms.

"Evelyn..." Robb whispered to himself, playing with it on his tongue. "Please, Evelyn, call me Robb. It seems only fair, does it not?"

Kaina smiled fully this time. A part of her immediately wanted to befriend him, to learn everything about him, to perhaps even fall in love with him. But she knew that she could not be so foolish, as she had been with Ramsay in her youth. Even so, Kaina didn't want to refuse his offer. "Of course... Robb."

"I thank you for attending my horse," Robb said, taking the reigns and leading Storm from the stall. "I hope to see you again soon, Evelyn."

And so Kaina was left with a fluttering feeling in her stomach, feeling a warmth inside of her that she had not felt in many years.

* * *

The next time Kaina saw Robb was two days later when he sought her out in the stables once more. Kaina had been taking a moment to rest her feet, sitting on a bale of hale, when Robb approached her. "My Lord," she shot up, curtseying.

"I told you to call me Robb," he smiled broadly at her, "Most of the staff in Winterfell say m'lord, they are not as well spoken as you are." Kaina didn't know whether Robb was trying to compliment her or if he was questioning her, so she simply offered him a small smile.

"Is there anything that I can do for you, Robb?" Kaina offered.

"Actually, I came to ask if you would like to go out for a ride with me later today," he asked, catching her off guard entirely. "You spoke of riding with such longing the other day, I thought it would be cruel to deny you the opportunity."

His generosity was foreign to her. She almost caught herself searching for a hidden motive. Had Robb been Ramsay, the ride would likely have been some form of game. Instead, Robb seemed to genuinely want to spend time with her. Kaina found herself smiling, but she knew that she shouldn't accept his offer, no matter how much she wanted to. "It would be inappropriate..."

"Would it really be so inappropriate? Not if I were to claim I simply prefer to ride with a companion than solo," Robb, usually the image of confidence, began to display signs of his nerves. After all, he was but a boy. His desire for this girl caused him the most exciting of nerves. "You could even ride Storm."

She couldn't deny that she was extremely tempted. "Who would you ride in that case?"

"My father's horse will be more than satisfactory," Robb countered, "What do you say?"

Kaina looked at her feet shyly for a moment, before meeting his eyes, "Okay."

Robb, true to his word, was there for Kaina at the end of her shift. She had just returned from the fields, having turned two horses out for the night, and was met with the eldest Stark with two horses at each side. He had taken the liberty to saddle Storm, his father's horse having already been saddled, and was patiently awaiting her arrival.

Kaina grinned when she saw him as Robb brought his horse over to her. Like a gentleman, he lifted her onto the horse with little difficulty and helped guide her feet into the stirrups once she was seated on Storm, his fingers lightly grazing over the skin of her ankle as he did so. Once he was on his own horse, they took off into the woods, steadily walking down the path that left Winterfell.

"Most of the castle's workers refer to me as 'm'lord'," Robb told her suddenly. Briefly, Kaina felt a horrible pang of rejection. Did he no longer want her to call him by his name? Seeing her confusion, he continued. "But when we met you called me 'my Lord'."

Kaina smiled pleasantly. "Do you have a point, _m'lord_?" she giggled, knowing her question was out of place for her station but she knew Robb would not care.

"I was simply wondering," Robb smiled back, "perhaps you are a noblewoman in hiding?"

She knew he was joking, and that there was no possible explanation for Robb knowing of her heritage, but still she felt her heart plummet.

If Robb noticed her panic, he didn't let on. Instead he flashed her another dazzling smile, and Kaina felt her worries dissolve once more.

In fact, Robb did notice her panic. He had no reason to truly believe that she was noble or hiding from something, but his mind would not let him forget the expensive finery he had found her in and his curiosity got the better of him.

"I am no noblewoman in hiding," Kaina laughed airily, feeling her heart continue to race in her chest. "Though I do imagine that might be quite exciting," she smiled widely at him and kicked her horse into a canter and raced ahead of him. Robb grinned after her, kicking his horse on and attempting to catch up with her.

"Would you tell me of your family perhaps?" he asked of her when they slowed their horses to a steady walk.

"My family?" she furrowed her brows. Why would the young lord be interested in a lowly commoner's family? Robb's smile encouraged her on. "I don't really have much in the way of family, besides my elder brother but I haven't seen him in a great many years," she admitted truthfully. "My parents were killed when I was barely past by ninth name day and my brother and I were separated from then on."

"Killed?" a brief look of horror flashed across his face before it settled into a look of sympathy, "My deepest sympathies-"

"It's alright, it's not quite so painful any more," Kaina interjected. It was in fact quite painful, to think of what could have been... Perhaps if they had lived her parents might have betrothed her to someone more honourable than Roose saw fit.

"And your brother? Do you miss him?" Robb thought of his brothers and how it would pain him so to be apart from any of them, even Theon.

"Sometimes," Kaina said, a look of sad reflection on her face, "He is older than me by nine years though, he had many duties and thus had very little time to spend with his sister. I do have some fond memories of him though. I remember once being very young and I sat on his knee as he read to me stories of Brandon the Builder and the like."

"Can you read, then?" he inquired, and she nodded. Robb was amazed by this girl. She claimed to be a simple commoner yet the stories she told him were not the ones he'd expect of her. What was more, she could read! What peasant girl could read?

Kaina hadn't realised how foolish she had been. Had Robb's father received any word of her disappearance then it was likely Robb would have deciphered who she was simply by the information she so willingly gave. She feared some sub-conscious drive of hers pulling her back towards Ramsay, as if she wanted to get caught. However, the feeling of comfort she felt with Robb was much stronger than any ties she still held to Ramsay, and it was so easy for her to lose herself in his gaze.

"Now," she looked up at him, the morose expression faded to an inquisitive smile paired with gleaming eyes, "You must tell me something about you." She was met with a dazzling smile from the Stark heir as he erupted into speech, pouring his heart out to her.

* * *

**Things are beginning to look up for Kaina. I love writing scenes with Robb, I miss him being on the show. **

**Thank you so much for your continued support, it means a lot! As always, please let me know what you thought. I love to read your reviews and I try to reply to most of them.**

**I have a quite a few chapters written already and a good idea about where to direct the story, but I'm still very torn on what to do about the Red Wedding. If you have any hopes or suggestions for that, do let me know. ****I also have a Jaime/OC fic in the works. The OC is very different from this one and I love writing her story, so if you're interested let me know and I might post the first couple of chapters.**

**See you next chapter.**


	5. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four  
**_The First Time_**  
**

* * *

"_He stepped down, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking." - Leo Tolstoy_

* * *

The days flew by. Robb and Kaina would meet regularly for rides in the Godswood and became so besotted with each other that they had no care for the outside world. When she was in Robb's company, Kaina was free from the haunting figure that was Ramsay Snow. All reminders of her previous life disappeared as she melted in Robb's Tully blue eyes and she was left with a feeling of peaceful bliss.

The night was beginning to fall when Robb and Kaina once again found themselves sitting by the Weirwood tree, hands in one another's as they chatted mindlessly. The sky was the same shade of blue as Robb's eyes, just a few stars beginning to appear in the sky as it darkened. She had been describing to him one of her early memories of her childhood, before she had become the ward of Boltons, when she noticed that Robb was no longer listening and was instead gazing at her lips intently.

Robb kissed her for the first time that night. Gods, he was nervous, but he wouldn't let on. She didn't respond at first, and he felt a horrible pang of rejection as he hoped that she wouldn't hate him for being so forward. He pulled back, not meeting her eyes and removing his now clammy hands from hers.

"I'm sorry," he began to ramble out an apology, "That was improper-"

"Robb," she interrupted, placing her palm on his cheek and turning his face to look at her again.

"I understand if you want to discontinue our meetings-"

"_Robb_," Kaina insisted. Robb finally raised his eyes to meet hers once more. "Kiss me again." At those words, Robb felt his worries disappear and he leaned in to kiss her once more. This time Kaina didn't seize up in fear as she had before, her mind flashing back to the memories of the only other man who had kissed her that she had tried to block out. But this time she melted under the touch of the eldest Stark child. She smiled into the kiss and Robb clumsily pulled her in closer, enjoying the feeling of their lips and bodies moulding together no matter how awkward the two of them may have been about it.

Her hand ran through Robb's thick, auburn curls. She couldn't help but admire the silky texture of his hair compared to the rough strands of Ramsay's brown locks. They parted for breath then, foreheads resting against each others, both grinning like the love-stricken fools they were.

"Gods, I think I've fallen for you," Robb breathed out, hand toying with Kaina's honey-brown curls.

"And I you," she responded, not feeling an ounce of guilt for her former betrothed. A heart-warming grin spread across Robb's face then, but the moment of peace was brought swiftly to an end by another.

"How sweet," a honeyed voice penetrated the air. Robb groaned, recognising the voice immediately. His hand left hers as he stood to face his brother, not in name or blood, but his brother still. Kaina watched the Greyjoy heir with wary eyes, not meeting his eyes in case he happened to recognise her. "I'm sure Sansa will be delighted to meet her new good-sister," he smirked.

"Mind your own business, Greyjoy," Robb replied in that voice that was so quintessentially 'Stark' that seemed to command respect.

The air seemed to grow colder as Theon's grin faltered for a moment. Robb bent over to Kaina, holding his hand out for her. Kaina smiled at him, cheeks still flushed, allowing him to pull her to her feet. Theon took in their dishevelled appearances, red lips and hair in disarray, and couldn't hold back a childish laugh.

"You two ought to clean yourselves up if you want to avoid Lady Stark finding out about your lover's tryst," he told them.

"Are you saying that you aren't to tell her yourself?" Kaina looked at him in shock, seeing a completely different person to the man who had accosted her in the brothel.

Theon shook his head, "And risk Robb telling her of all my escapades to the whore-house? I'd rather not. A favour for a favour."

Of course, it wasn't a favour for a favour. Theon and Robb considered each other to be brothers, Robb had told her as much. Theon didn't truly even consider betraying Robb to his mother for a single moment.

Robb nodded, feeling the tension in his body release. "Thank you, Theon."

Theon's eyes flickered to Kaina again, observing how Robb held her to his side, hand on her waist. "Are you going to introduce me to your lady-friend, Robb?"

She could feel Robb bristle at his terminology, but he didn't bother arguing. "Oh," he gawped, having forgotten that to the two men, Theon and Kaina had never met. Theon knew well who she was however, having been the recipient of Robb's ramblings about the girl he had found in the snow. "Theon, this is Evelyn. Evelyn, this is Theon Greyjoy, my father's ward."

Kaina felt a small wave of empathy wash over her when she saw Theon wince slightly at the use of his title. She knew well that being a ward amounted to the same as being a hostage, no doubt his captors treated him better than Kaina's did however. Still, she saw a flash of bitterness in his eyes. He was of the Iron Islands, not of the North. No matter how well they treated him, he would always remain an outsider.

At Robb's words, Kaina lifted her skirts and curtseyed. "My Lord," she greeted him. Theon smiled at her, a genuine and warm smile that she had previously thought him incapable of. It seemed that Winterfell was full of surprises.

"It's getting dark," Robb announced, noticing how Kaina had begun to shiver from the cold of the night air. "We should return to Winterfell."

By the time the three of them had returned to the stables, the only light was from the torches lining the walls. Everywhere else had turned black. Kaina and Robb led their horses to the stables whilst Theon waited outside. Robb had offered to take the saddles off the two horses for her, but Kaina refused. She could see how the skin under his eyes had darkened and sleep was closing in on him.

Robb hesitated at the threshold of the door before he left. "Evelyn?" She almost forgot to respond to her assumed name.

Kaina looked at him, eyes glimmering in the light of the candles. "Yes?" she responded hopefully, heart pounding in her chest.

"Thank you, for tonight," he smiled sheepishly at her.

Kaina smiled widely, feeling as if her heart would burst. "Goodnight, my Lord."

* * *

Kaina had just exited Storm's stable when she was confronted by the stable-master. He placed a large hand on her shoulder and turned her body abruptly until she faced him. His angry and red face came into view, and before Kaina could ask a question, he waved a finger in her face and starting berating her. "'A hired you out of pity, _girl_, how dare ya steal _my_ horses for yer frolicking in the woods?"

A feeling of shame momentarily rose in Kaina before she felt a need to defend herself rise in her chest. Perhaps if she wanted to keep her job she should have nodded demurely and apologised profusely, but she was not in the wrong and she wasn't about to let this man tell her that she was.

"With all due respect, _Ser_, but they are not your horses. Storm is Lord Robb's horse, and he was the one to allow me to ride him," Kaina stood her ground.

The stable-master's red face became impossibly redder. "Did'ya pay for that saddle, girl? Did'ya pay for the 'ay that horse eats? Apparently ya think yerself entitled. Perhaps a should dock yer pay."

Kaina's eyes bulged. This was the moment she was supposed to beg for his forgiveness. She desperately needed the money and the stable-master was the sort of man who enjoyed having others grovelling at his feet. Instead, however, Kaina refused to let him think he was allowed to do such a thing.

"You will _not!_" she snarled. The stable-master's eyes narrowed at her for a moment, and suddenly she was on the floor with a stinging pain on her cheek. She felt the warmth of her blood trickling from her lip where she had bitten it as she fell, and she glowered up at the man who stood above her.

"A will not take orders from a girl!" he bellowed at her. "If yer not gone by the time a return, I will do much worse to ya."

Kaina wanted to fight against him, to yell and defend her ground. She was worth more than that, she was not some lazy or good-for-nothing worker who should be thrown out onto the streets. She was more noble than this man could ever hope to be; _she _was _his _better, not the other way round! But Kaina also knew that this man was a lot stronger than her and she feared that even though the Starks were honourable people, their stable-master was not quite as honourable as they would've liked.

Instead, Kaina simply curled her lip, "As you wish," she sneered as she clambered to her feet. She turned on her feet, marching out of the stables as fast as she could in a relatively dignified manner. "Bastard..." she hissed as she felt the heat of her swollen and reddened cheek.

As she left she could feel Ramsay chiding her over her shoulder, taunting her and telling her how weak she was for letting him do that to her. She knew what Ramsay would have done. He would have beaten and flayed the man, and chased any daughter he might have through the woods for sport.

Maybe she was weak, but at least she wasn't anything like Ramsay.

_**The Dreadfort**_

To say that Ramsay was livid was an understatement. When he had awoken the morning after Kaina had abandoned him, he had immediately set his hounds upon her scent. He had called for the Bastard's Boys and, to his anger, had only tracked her scent as far as the entrance to the forest. From there his hounds led him blindly through the forest, needing the constant reminder of his horse, Blood, at their heels if they slowed. Once they broke through to the other side of the thick and dense woodland, all trace of her had gone.

His blood boiled as he returned to the Dreadfort without Kaina in his arms. He knew that there was no possibility that she could have orchestrated this herself. He watched her every move, there was not a single moment when she could've slipped a sleeping draught into his drink without his noticing.

There was no doubt that Ramsay Snow was indeed Roose Bolton's son. They both shared that eerily calm demeanour atop a deeply flawed and sadistic character. There was no doubt that Ramsay was the spawn of House Bolton, following in the footsteps of his ancestors. It was evident in that hideous grin he wore on his face when set his eyes on his next victim, and the way his eyes glistened in the torchlight as he admired his victim's flayed skin hanging on the crimson painted walls of the dungeon. Roose liked to claim that he had left the gruesome traditions of his ancestors to rot in the ground with them, but his bastard was all too keen to prove himself a true Bolton. He knew that she must have had an accomplice, and when he found out who that accomplice was, he would flay them and hang their skin on the walls of the dungeons as a warning for when he inevitably had her back.

_**Winter Town**_

Kaina only knew of one place she could turn to. It was a bitterly cold night and even her thick woollen cloak couldn't protect her from the bite of frost. Her breath turned to mist in front of her face and as the darkness closed in around her she knew that she had to take shelter. Tentatively, she approached the lively tavern in the town. It seemed to exude warmth and exuberance, even at this late hour. She entered the tavern, or rather the brothel, which was filled with men seeking company of young women in this long night.

She swallowed her hesitation and pushed her way through the tables and drunken men, vaguely wondering if she might once again see Theon, and eventually found Ros perched on the lap of a man with only a thin strip of fabric for modesty. Still, she somehow carried herself with dignity and grace that Kaina knew she never had when she was with Ramsay.

Ros met her eyes immediately but didn't come to her. Instead she spun in the man's lap and buried her face into his neck. The man's expression slackened, so Kaina could only imagine that Ros had told him something that would sate him for a few minutes of her absence. Ros pulled back and waited for the man to nod before standing and taking Kaina by the hand, leading her over to the bar where it was quieter.

"I need somewhere to stay the night," Kaina said before Ros could ask, "Just the one, I can sort myself out tomorrow but I had no where else to go tonight."

Ros led her to the room she had occupied during her initial stay there. Thankfully there was a lock on the door and when Ros left, Kaina immediately bolted the door and leant against it.

She closed her eyes and as she did so, the memory of Robb kissing her came rushing to her. Her fingers felt her puffy lips and she smiled to herself. No one had ever been so gentle with her. Kaina wandered over to the bed and pulled the covers over her, hoping to fall immediately into a deep sleep. It took her a few minutes, the throbbing of her cheek reminding her of the embarrassing encounter with the stable master, until she finally succumbed to the darkness and dreamt of days that had passed.

_She had been so very lonely. Domeric was in the Vale, squiring for Lord Redfort, meaning Kaina was left without a friend or any genuine company to keep. Lord Bolton had been more watchful of her than ever, knowing that while Kaina had a mild temperament, as any Lady should, she felt a lot of anger towards the Bolton patriarch._

_That day he'd told her of his impending search for suitors who wished for her hand in marriage. Kaina had accepted the news, having always known that when she eventually bled for the first time, Roose would seek to find her a suitable husband and potentially secure an alliance with another house. When she finished her meal, she asked to be excused from the table and more or less fled from the room._

_Ramsay found her in the stables outside of the Dreadfort wiping tears from her red cheeks. He knew well who she was, he had watched her for years. He introduced himself to her with his true name – Roose had never thought to mention the existence of his bastard to either Domeric or Kaina so she did not recognise it – and comforted her, wiping away her tears as they sat together on the mound of straw in the lowly lit stable._

_An overwhelming feeling of resentment to Roose flooded her thoughts as Ramsay turned her face to him, so tantalisingly close. She barely put any thought into it, clumsily smashing her lips against his. Ramsay grinned into the kiss, forcefully kissing her back but still allowing her to believe she had control. Her hands trailed down to jerkin, fingers pulling at the ties. Ramsay couldn't believe his luck._

"_Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, panting as they broke from the kiss. She nodded breathlessly, fingers instead pulling at the ties of his breeches. This was a rebellion against Roose, they both knew it._

_He didn't rid her of her dress, only loosening the laces of her dress enough for him to be able to slide his hand up the front of her dress and roughly grope at her breasts, fingers expertly teasing and tweaking a nipple. He couldn't believe his ears when she moaned wantonly at him. This was much different from fucking a whore, he noted. There was something so wrong about this, unspoken by the both of them, but they wanted it anyway._

_His free hand bunched her skirts around her waist, exposing her most private areas to the cold air of the North. He was on top of her now as she laid in the straw. They continued to kiss as they unclothed each other, Kaina's hands finally managing to pull the ties from his breeches. Ramsay smirked, planting heavy kisses on her jaw and neck as he pulled himself free of his breeches at last, feeling a desperate need for her as she felt for him._

_"You're a virgin," he noted with a sly smile on his face, not that she could see it._

"_I don't care," her hands grasped at his back, fingers winding in his hair. They both knew that one day she would come to regret this, but Kaina had no idea just how much she would regret ever giving herself to him. "I want you," she breathed against the warm skin of his jaw._

_And so she had him, and he had her. She gave herself to him, moaning as they joined in a lust-filled haze. She barely noted the pain as he tore through her maidenhead, not considering the blood that would soak through her skirts._

_When it was done, she simply laid there panting and in a blissful daze. He collapsed beside her, admiring her features, and smirked. He had her exactly where he wanted her._

* * *

**Let me know what you think!**

**As I said in the last chapter, leave a suggestion of any direction you'd like to see this story go. I'll try and take any suggestion into account.**

_**Please leave a review! :)**_


End file.
